Floral Messages
by cursedgirls13
Summary: It's been ten years since Levi has seen "him". A decade until he sees a sign. A message.


**Hey, guys! I think my goal here was to make a story that was cheesy as humanly possible （ ´∀｀） **

**Flowers are meaningful living beings, not just pretty ornaments to put on your table as a centerpiece, or are just there to annoy your sister because she's allergic to those blood-red roses that you love (◡‿◡✿)**

**Please enjoy "Floral Messages". - Makoto**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin.**

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><p><strong>Floral Messages<strong>

Levi Ackerman is a quiet person, a person who keeps to himself, if you will. So he doesn't really know how to react when he finds two perfect pink carnations with a pure white satin bow wrapped around them, sitting on the counter of their florist shop. He's pretty sure that there aren't any pink carnations, much less any carnations, in the area.

An admirer?

Most likely Mikasa's, his younger cousin's. He highly doubts someone would be interested in a forty-seven-year-old man, despite the years having been great to him.

It looks like he's been frozen in time since he turned twenty-something years old. Women his age always ask him how he "does it", but he thinks they're better off with smearing layer over layer of makeup, or getting plastic surgery, or doing whatever to conceal their actual age. Too bad there's no way to get rid of back pain, or pain in general. Sure, Levi doesn't look the age, but he feels it, and it sucks a whole lot.

Mikasa, on the other hand, is healthy young woman of twenty-eight years. Her short-but-luscious dark hair, calm gray eyes, and full, glossy pink lips have charming young men turning their heads in her direction and other young women pulling cheeks and glaring.

People often mistake her and Levi for brother and sister because of their dark hair and expressive stormy eyes, which is an insult to both of them, to say the least. Levi has blue eyes, thank you very much. If only people were more observant. The nineteen year age gap aside. But they're used to it now.

Although there's one of many differences that's major. Levi has been dating someone for a decade. Yes, Mikasa is taken as well, absolutely smitten by her beloved Annie, whom she has been married to for the past three years and counting.

A decade is a long time, even for Levi, who has been on this earth long enough.

He hesitates, before gingerly picking up the beautiful pale pink flowers. Levi turns them around in his rather petite hands, observing them with curious sky-blue eyes.

"Is something the matter?" a low, melodious voice questions, worried. The dark-haired male is usually moving around making sure all the flowers have enough water, cleaning the floors and counters, or making a flower arrangement after someone's request.

He quickly looks up, giving Mikasa a weird look. He hadn't even heard her come in the front door.

"Nothing…"

The flowers end up in a crystal vase in the back of the shop, glowing brilliantly from sunlight filtering in from the window it sits next to. The satin ribbon is tied around the vase.

"Who's that from?" Mikasa asks.

"I don't know." Levi shrugs. "Maybe it's for you."

"It could be for you, too."

"Me? I'm more ancient than the Greeks. I highly doubt it." That gets a smile out of his cousin and a smile out of himself, as well. "But who would know where the spare key to the shop is?"

"Hanji could be playing a prank on you," Mikasa says.

"Flowers? No way. That's not his style. He probably would've put some deadly chemical in some of the flowers' water."

"True…" she trails off, pondering all the possibilities. Then she shrugs.

"Let's open the shop," Levi suggests. "Maybe it'll become obvious as time goes on."

Mikasa nods, going behind the counter to grab an apron. While handling flowers, water pretty much gets everywhere, but Levi finds that's something he doesn't mind.

She watches from behind the counter as Levi unlocks the shop door from the inside. He walks back, adjusting a couple buckets of flowers on his way. Mikasa glances back at the pink carnations.

"Do you think…" She shakes her head, not finishing her sentence.

"Hm?" Levi looks up from adding water to perky sky-blue hyacinths, having filled a cup with water. Their pretty color complements his eyes, Mikasa notices.

"No. It's nothing."

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><p>The florist shop that Mikasa and Levi run together was previously owned by Levi's mother and Mikasa's father. It's a family-owned shop, so both Mikasa and Levi thought that carrying it on would be nice. As for their children...unless Mikasa and Annie adopt, there will be no grandkiddies around.<p>

The next day, two bright pink camellias sit on the counter, stems absent. They look freshly cut. Levi recalls that there are a couple bushes here and there, in the field behind their shop.

He gently takes them into his cupped hands, placing them at the base of the crystal vase holding the carnations.

"Okay, so we can rule out Hanji. This definitely isn't a prank," Mikasa says when she arrives.

"I'm too old for this," Levi complains, fixing a vase of bright, sunny daffodils. He sits back on his knees, looking up at Mikasa. She smirks at him, and he rolls his eyes in response, going to stand up.

"How's Annie?" he asks, changing the subject. Mikasa looks up thoughtfully.

"She's doing fine. Her job as a policewoman is pretty tiring, though."

"I can imagine." Levi stands up, making his way to the counter, Mikasa following him.

A young man enters the shop. Their fifth customer in one hour. Today ensures to be a busy day, like everyday.

The flowers remain in the back of Levi's mind as he helps the man pick out flowers for a special bouquet, going to be given to his sick mother.

* * *

><p>Breathtaking gardenias are what appear the next day. Their pure white petals blend with Levi's milky skin as he places them next to the camellias. The leaves are a healthy dark green color.<p>

Levi lets a small smile grace his full lips. It's nice to get gorgeous flowers, freshly picked everyday. It makes him feel special; better, even. Though he doesn't know who it is, at least they're thinking of him. Mikasa and he know that it's one of their friends, as they are the only people who know where the spare key to their flower shop is.

His expression saddens slightly. After all, the person he had loved ten years ago has probably forgot about his existence. Levi still thinks about him, even after a decade. And it hurts. But now it's just a sting. Love can be a pain; although, it's still a beautiful feeling, Levi admits. A feeling that you should never block out, and so he hasn't.

Mikasa doesn't say anything about the gardenias, but it's obvious by the smile on her face that she saw them.

Her cousin is still a bit broken, but he can be healed.

She playfully tugs at the apron ribbon sitting on his waist with a grin, causing him to give her an irritated look as he lightly bats her hand away.

* * *

><p>Mikasa admires the rather small sapphire-blue flowers sitting on the branch in Levi's hand.<p>

"Forget-me-nots?" she asks. Levi nods, walking over to the crystal vase and placing it in with the carnations.

"...They all have meanings to them," he says softly, turning around in his spot in front of the vase.

"A...meaning?"

"Didn't you know? Flowers have meanings. They can be your feelings towards others," Levi explains, walking back over to the counter. He goes to the room in the back to fetch a forest-green vase; the young man from yesterday requested that specific color.

"Even I don't know the meanings of flowers, so who would?" Mikasa wonders aloud, when Levi comes back out carrying the vase with gentle care. He freezes in his actions, then places the vase down. It's a nanosecond, but she sees the pause.

"I'm going to go out back to collect flowers," Levi says, his voice cracking at the end of the sentence. Mikasa nods.

"I'll take care of the store."

He obviously needs some fresh air and some time alone.

* * *

><p>Levi observes the branch of beautiful dark purple flowers in his hands, the next day.<p>

It can't be. He left a decade ago, and they had lost all contact with each other about eight years ago.

The dark-haired male can feel his eyes burn, but he refuses to let tears escape.

He walks to the crystal vase placing the gloxinias with the carnations and forget-me-nots.

"I bet it's him," a voice says. Levi stays silent, not able to face Mikasa for fear of breaking down.

"...Do you really think so?" he asks softly, his voice wavering.

Mikasa feels terrible for bringing "him" up, but she knows that her cousin was and is suspecting the same person, as well.

She walks over to Levi, wrapping a strong arm around his petite shoulders. He appreciates the comforting gesture.

The cool breeze coming through the window rumple the thin curtains and ruffles the petals of the flowers in the crystal vase. Mikasa glances down to see thick dark locks get pushed back to reveal watery ocean-blue eyes.

"Do you...still...love him?" she asks, looking at the golden sunlight filtering through the window.

"I've never been one to let go of things easily," Levi replies, "...but I'm not the only one in this relationship, you know."

"So you think he's courting another man, or possibly a woman?"

"I've had that mentality since eight years ago, Mikasa." His voice wavers again. She knows he won't cry.

"He's not worth crying over," Levi says dryly, reading her mind.

"...Ten years, huh…" Mikasa ponders.

"I'm going to make the flower arrangement that guy asked for."

"I'll help."

Levi locks eyes with Mikasa. He smiles.

"Thanks."

* * *

><p>Orange blossoms. Levi can smell the faint, tangy scent of oranges on the small white flowers.<p>

Messages left in flowers. Floral messages. That's what they were.

Levi was taught several meanings by his mother over the years, and that's why his hands shake slightly as he holds the small branch of fragrant blossoms. He can barely breath.

Is he really back? Has he been the one leaving flowers on the counter every morning for the past week?

The dark-haired man places the branch back down, not wanting to drop it on the floor by accident because of his shaky hands.

"Hey, long time no see."

A low, smooth voice washes over Levi like a calming wave. He continues to stare down at his hands, which continue to tremble.

"C'mon, now…" The voice is gentle, and Levi walks around from behind the counter, clasping his hands in front of himself. He still doesn't look up.

A tanned hand reaches out, grabbing Levi's slim wrist, but he jerks away. It's a reflex.

"What's wrong?" the voice asks, and the dark-haired male backs up, finally looking up.

"Everything. Why are you here?" he asks harshly.

Levi feels bad when Eren's expression shows extreme hurt.

He's all grown up now. A handsome, charming and young twenty-eight-year-old man. Not that dorky and lovable eighteen-year-old boy that had left him ten years ago. He wears a red jacket with a black v-neck underneath and jeans.

Levi has also gotten older, too. He's just hiding behind the face of a twenty-something-year-old, and he wonders if Eren knows that.

"I missed you so much," the brunette says, carefully taking a step closer to the older male. "I'm so sorry I left you. That's my biggest regret."

"Your education is more important than me," Levi says darkly, standing his ground. "You could've stayed in France forever." Eren winces. If he was younger, he probably would've lashed out at Levi by now. But he's definitely matured.

"I wanted to be by your side."

"Eren, I'm a lot older than I seem." Sure, when the turquoise-eyed male left, Levi was thirty-seven and that wasn't such a big deal, but he's now realizing how much years have passed. He's almost fifty years old.

Eren knows that fact. He can see how the shadows cast slight lines underneath Levi's eyes, making him look his actual age. And he looks tired. But the brunette knows that the older male hasn't changed much either.

Thick dark locks fall into sky-blue eyes, resulting in Levi pushing his hair back behind his ear. Eren hasn't changed much either. He still has that youthful, boyish look to him, yet it's obvious that he's a lot more grown-up.

"I'm a detective now," Eren says, smiling to reveal perfect white teeth. "I graduated at the top of my class."

"What a shock." Levi mocks surprise, then gives a small smile in response to the brunette's slight pout. He steps closer to Eren, much to the younger's joy.

"All for you," he says, cautiously reaching out a hand, which Levi takes, much to his relief.

Eren notices how petite and delicate his hand feels now, compared to his. The brunette needs to keep reminding himself that this isn't the young and feisty thirty-seven-year-old man, who had no problem kicking his butt whenever he was being a brat.

"I thought you forgot," Levi blurts out.

In response, though a bit offended, Eren gently tugs the dark-haired male over, hugging him closely. Levi feels smaller as well. But then again, the brunette gained three centimeters, which is actually a lot, considering how short the older male is. Not that Eren would ever say that aloud, even when Levi probably doesn't even care about how small he is anymore. He's just at that point of not caring.

"So you've been here for a whole week?" Levi asks, pulling away slightly and resting his hands on Eren's shoulders.

He nods. "I would've come in person, but I was busy finding a job and settling into it, so why not leave flowers instead?"

Levi smiles. "Points for creativity."

Eren beams, using his thumbs to lightly massage the older's hipbones, which still feel strong and firm. "Thanks. Now…"

To Levi's surprise, the brunette smoothly kneels down on one knee, pulling out something from his back pocket. It's small black velvet box, and Eren opens it to reveal a simple gold band.

"In those ten years I was gone, it wasn't just for my education. I...I wanted to propose to you before I left, but I realized that would be cruel. Levi," Eren uses his free hand to take a smaller one into his own, pressing his lips to rough milky skin, "I love you so, so much, and I want to be by your side forever and ever. I don't care about the age gap, I've wasted ten years already. I want to make up for that decade. Will you marry me?"

"Eren, you idiot," Levi says darkly. "Of course I will!" He flings himself at the taller male, wrapping his arms tightly around the brunette's neck. Eren hugs back just as tightly, savoring Levi's warmth. He smells of subtle, sweet vanilla and gentle laundry detergent.

God, Eren missed Levi _so_ much.

They pull away, and the younger man takes the ring, slipping it onto the older's left ring finger. It fits perfectly.

"I love you, too…" Levi says shyly, trying to hide his extreme embarrassment. Eren flushes at his cuteness, hugging the smaller man to himself again.

He doesn't plan on letting go for a long time.


End file.
